What it means
Network and asset
Bitcoin with a capital B usually refers to the network or protocol; bitcoin and BTC refer to the asset. A transaction spends existing outputs and creates new ones. Nodes check the rules, while miners propose blocks through proof of work.
Payment acceptance
Broadcasting a transaction does not establish that a merchant has received an adequately confirmed payment. Acceptance policies must account for transaction validity, the expected amount, confirmation risk and the system used to receive funds. A Bitcoin mainnet transfer and a Lightning payment follow different operational flows.
Related concepts
Blockchain, Lightning Network, Transaction finality, Cryptocurrency.
In practice
A concrete example
A store records a BTC payment as pending when detected and releases an order only after its documented acceptance policy is satisfied.
Technical notes & boundaries
Block intervals are variable. No fixed number of minutes or confirmations is a universal guarantee of irreversible payment or bank payout.
Go to the source.
Original references used for this definition. Product details and standards can change.
